Abstract: In the last decades the number of catastrophical earthquakes is increasing dramatically. This is due to the fact that the increasing of population and the intense urbanification are mainly situated in the seismic prone areas, and in the undeveloped areas. In these situations a real condition to reduce the seismic risk is the urban planning, which include the analyze from the point of view of vulnerability, to seismic actions of regions, cities, quarters and buildings.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Acad. Prof. Dr. Eng. Victor Gioncu graduated in the year 1957 the Politehnical Institute from Timisoara, at the Faculty of Civil Constructions in the domain: Civil, Industrial and Agricultural Constructions. In the year 1971 he presented his PhD paper at Politehnical Institute of Timisoara, at The Faculty of Architecture, obtaining the title doctor engineer, with the distinction "Cum Laudae" in the specialization: civil engineering. He is member of the Academy of Technical Sciences of Romania. His positions started with being a structural designer at DSAPC Arad, with structural design made for many important buildings between 1958-1964. He made research in the field of structures made of bars with thin walls, stability of metalic and concrete structures between 1964-1971. Between 1971-1985 he has been lecturer at the Politehnical University Timisoara. At Faculty of Architecture, he has taught courses of "Mechanics and structural design" and "Structures in architecture". Head of National Institute of Research in Construction INCERC Timisoara (1985-1994). Professor at the Politehnica University Timisoara, Faculty of Architecture (1990-2003), teaching courses of "Structural design", "Methods of restoration of historical buildings", "Antiseismic architecture" and "The esthetic of structures". Since 2003 consultant professor at the Faculty of Architecture of Timisoara and honorific professor of the Technical University from Budapest (since 2004). He is member in 6 national and international professional associations. He teached courses as invited professor at Universities in England, Brazil, Hungary and Italy. He has 14 written books, 8 written in English, 3 as author and 5 as publisher, 6 books in Romanian as author, 8 special chapters in different books, 5 manuals for students at Faculty of Architecture. The number of papers published in conferences and international journals are over 250 in all the above mentioned domains of research.